Second Wind
by LokiRavenscraft
Summary: Luffy rescues another person from the marines at Shellfish Island along with Zoro. Kai has a dark secret though.. :: ZoroxOC :: Rewritten, the original is still up.


I was annoyed.

Now, normally I'm either bored or apathic, but today?

_Kill me now._

Shellfish Island was a sleepy little fishing town, nice if you wanted to retire and raise kids, I suppose, but nothing well, Fun. Or at least, my definition of Fun.

Honestly, I shouldn't have been surprised. The marine base tower that loomed over the town would be a sufficient deterrent to any brawlers who were brave enough to look me up anyway. Which I guess was a good thing, considering the only reason I was even in this backwater town was so I could restock my supplies.

Which can, I suppose, be considered a brawl in and of itself.

"Really? Haggling over the price of _bandages?_ How desperate can you be?" I grumbled under my breath as I hefted my duffle bag of supplies over my shoulder, moving away from the vendor's stall.

"I _heard_ that, you ruffian!" yelled the vendor from behind me. I spun on my heel, and performed a classic gesture known as 'flipping the bird'. His face turned several shades of red and purple -_ and puce, impressive -_, and I took off through the crowds with a smirk on my face, listening to him yell and shout.

_Well, that took care of my bad mood._

I was so caught up that I didn't notice the solid wall of people until I rammed straight into them. A few well placed elbows and shoulder checks and I managed to slip through the crowd, right around the time I heard someone yelling.

"You ran into me? Into ME? I'll have my father execute you!"

_What?_

The crowd parted before me, dumping me out into the middle of an altercation.

Exhibit A was a horribly dressed kid with -_ was that a bowl cut? _ - and a few marine soldiers standing at attention behind him. He was yelling at Exhibit B, a youngish woman who was lying on the ground in front of him.

"How dare you get in my way!"

I managed to place his voice as the one I had heard while running through the crowd, and narrowed my eyes as he pulled his hand back to hit the woman.

"Now, that's no way to treat a lady."

His hand fell to his side as he glared over at me from where I stood just past the crowd.

"You don't tell me what to do! Nobody does!" He spat out, and I snorted.

"Must be why you have such a nasty personality." I responded smoothly with just a hint of a sneer. "Your daddy didn't smack you around enough as a child, apparently. Your manners are terrible."

_If I know his type well enough, he should come storming this way right about..._

Sure enough, he moved away from the woman and stomped up to me, finding he had to tilt his face to meet my eyes.

_SMACK!_

I allowed my head to move slightly to one side, and idly reached up to grab his wrist. "No, no, you're doing it all wrong. Allow me to demonstrate."

I dropped my sack of supplies, and in that same instant, punched him square in the jaw. He flew backwards, slamming into his two guards, who slid across the street into the opposite wall.

Silence fell.

He shakily righted himself as I moved forward to place myself between him and the woman. His eyes roved over me more carefully this time, taking in the red eyes, short, shaggy black hair, red headband and jacket, and the heavy metal cuffs hanging from either wrist before dragging his attention back to his jaw where I'd landed my punch.

"Yea. Fuck you, brat. Wanna try that again? Or apologize to the lady?" I said without so much as a flicker in my expression.

_Not so tough now, huh? Seriously, this kid looks like he's going to piss his pants._

"You're..you're 'Godhand', aren't you." He said slowly, an evil grin starting to stretch across his face. I barely managed to control my expression.

_Fuck. I knew coming to this damn town was a bad idea. Huge marine base, heavy marine presence, yea of course they'll have my wanted poster. Dammnit!_

"You know...The punishment for hitting me is death. Even if you leave, that woman will still be executed." He said, and my glare intensified.

_He wouldn't. No, scratch that. He would. He's a shitty brat who seems to rely on his dad's power. And his dad, apparently, doesn't keep him in line. Of course he'd kill her if he doesn't get what he wants. _

He smirked fully now, knowing he had hit a nerve. "If you surrender in her place, I won't execute her. But you will have to not resist anything we do to you for a month."

_A month? Fuck._

I glanced at the woman behind me, my insides doing some nervous acrobatics as I contemplated the situation. "What's your name?" I murmured as she looked up at me, her eyes bright with unshed tears.

"L-Lena.." she stammered as a scream of "MAMA!" ripped through the crowd, and a few shopkeepers started holding a small, sobbing girl away from us.

_Double Fuck. _

I took a few steps forward, then dropped to my knees and put my hands behind my head. The blond kid _grinned_, and the soldiers moved to grab my arms, hauling me to my feet. I caught the woman's eye as they dragged me out of the market, and smiled at her, though it was a fake one.

_Don't worry about me._

* * *

"Sleep well?" filtered a voice through my mind hazily.

I glared at my captors from within my cell as I shook myself to full wakefulness.

_Fucking bastards._

The blond kid grinned at me as a low chuckle escaped him. "So easy to capture, even though you're worth so much." he mocked. I clenched my teeth, trying to relax into my restraints. They were **damn** uncomfortable.

"Maybe if you weren't such a fucking _coward_ I could **show** you how I got such a high bounty." I hissed at him, my eyes darkening with suppressed rage.

"Don't tell me you're still mad because of such a little thing." He said almost pleasantly as his aide handed him a sword.

My hand twitched, or at least I thought it did. These marines were thorough, I would give them that. When they had brought me here they had simply strung my wrists to a hook in the ceiling with a long chain that connected to the handcuffs. I hadn't been able to feel my arms properly for several days now.

The blade point kissed the skin of my neck, and I locked eyes with the kid in front of me. When he had first brought me here, he had injected something in me that made my skin extremely sensitive to everything. Just feeling a light breeze was enough to make me shiver like I was in the Arctic snow.

"You know.." he said almost lazily as he moved the sword's point to my arm, "I heard that you are an amazing fighter."

I didn't look away.

"What, you want a demonstration or something?" I retorted as he sliced through the bandages that covered my right arm, drawing blood as he did so. I closed my eyes, unwilling to let the pain show on my face. When I opened them again, he grinned.

He turned and stuck the sword into the ground a few feet away from me, and I raised my eyebrow at that. _Does he have no sense of danger at all?_ Putting a blade that close to a trained fighter, never a good idea. Then again, he wasn't a fighter, as I had realized when he had come in to punch me occasionally, and ended up hurting himself more than me.

_Amateur._

"I want to cut a deal with you." He said suddenly, stopping my train of thought about how much of an idiot he was.

_What on earth..._

"We already have a deal. I surrender and become your prisoner, and you don't kill that woman who ran into you the other day." I reminded him, leaning my head against my uninjured arm. I closed my eyes, feeling tired with the conversation.

"Well, here's the thing. See, we captured 'Pirate Hunter' Roronoa Zoro two days ago, and we need some... festivities to celebrate that. You will fight 6 opponents a night for a week. If you can survive that, I'll let you go, without harming the woman." he said.

I mulled over it.

There had to be a catch, there just _had_ to. There was no way a marine base would just _let_ a prisoner go, especially one with a bounty. But I couldn't stay here forever, and even though I didn't really trust this kid, if I could scare him badly enough to never threaten the townspeople again this just might work.

"Fine." I growled, and he stood, a look of triumph on his face.

"Of course, you'll still be wearing handcuffs." He said, and I shrugged as best I could.

_Knew it._

"Not like that will really matter." I said, looking him square in the eye.

It was brief, but he flinched.

* * *

That night, the guards came and dragged me outside into the makeshift arena, next to the execution grounds. I blinked and squinted rapidly as a couple of spotlights hit me, unused to strong light after the dark prison cell.

"And now, Ladies and gentlemen, for your entertainment we present the infamous 'Godhand', who will be showing us his skill with barehanded fighting against 6 opponents tonight!" the announcers voice blared. Once my vision adjusted, I glanced around.

_Wonderful._

The makeshift stands were full of villiagers, many staring in silence while a smaller crowd was half-heartedly clapping. I rolled my shoulders and cracked my neck casually as the announcer droned on.

"So confident is he that he offered to fight in his handcuffs even!"

_Yea yea, you talk too much._

"We are releasing the 6 combatants now. The one to win this round will continue on to the next tomorrow night! Let the festivities start!" The guards started shoving prisoners out of other doors while I stood there, utterly bored.

"Did you hear that, man?"  
"Whoever wins all 7 fights goes free!"

_You're in the ring, chitter-chatter gets you killed._

I looked the one who had spoken first, then _moved._

Sprinting forward, I grabbed him by the throat and threw him across the arena, the movement taking me a split second. He hit the announcers stand _hard_, and collapsed in a heap on the ground. His eyes glazed over, and he didn't even try to stand back up.

All eyes shot to me as I dropped into stance and glared at the other men. "You wanna make this quick or not?" I hissed. They glanced at one another, then back at me. I stood my ground as they rushed forward but...

Sadly, they didn't stand a _chance_.

I met the incoming fist of the second prisoner with my palm, grabbing his whole fist. I squeezed his hand hard enough to make bones move, but not enough to break, and tossed him aside. Moving quickly I tilted my head as the third man's fist whiffed through the air where it had been just seconds before, and tracked it. I grabbed his arm and yanked him past me, causing him to lose his balance and hit the ground with a snapping sound when he landed. _A few broken ribs, and his leg was at a wierd angle._ Still watching number 3's prone form, I kicked out behind me, planting my foot in the fourth prisoner's face. He dropped like a stone.

The last three went down just as easily.

By the end of the performance, I had not moved a single step beyond where I had rushed the prisoners the first time.

_And __**that**__, ladies and gentlemen, is how it's done._

I sighed, and looked over my shoulder at the announcer's box.

"That was boring as hell. You don't have anyone stronger?" I called.

The guards rushed in during the silence, gripping my arms and hauling me off, but not before I heard a whistle from behind the fence. As I tried to see over it, I caught a glimpse of a man tied to a pole, staring at me.

_Black headband, green haramaki and one __**hell **__of a stare_.

Definitely Roronoa Zoro.

We made eye contact and I smirked at him. He returned it, and a connection was made, left unspoken.

_We'll get out of here.  
__We're stronger than them.  
__We'll make it.  
__Keep fighting._

* * *

It had been a week since then. Roronoa had begun to look more and more tired and exhausted, and I had found that he was in much the same boat as myself. _Damn Blondie loves his bragging._ I noted Roronoa had begun to send me somewhat concerned glances as my fighting skills degraded - due to not enough nutrition in addition to being drugged. Day after day of fighting was getting harder when my senses were dulled and slowed to the point where I couldn't dodge correctly.

And I was sick of it.

I leaned into my arms, stretched above my head and stared at them dully. Long cuts were scattered across them, courtesy of Crazy Blondie allowing the other prisoners weapons. My ribcage throbbed and my wrists were scabbed over from where the handcuffs had cut into my skin too many times.

"GET OUTTA THE WAAAAY!"  
"YOU PASSED THE DOOR!"

Had I the energy, I would have jumped about ten feet into the air. As it was, the most I could do was lift my head as the sound of a person running came closer and closer, until _whoever_ it was plowed into my prison cell.

_What...the...fuck?_

I stared down at the kid who was dragging Blondie across the floor like a mop, and had to consciously close my mouth as we gazed blankly at each other. He was slightly built, with a head of unruly black hair and a scar under his left eye. He also had a plain straw hat on his head.

"Hey Helmeppo! Is this the guy Rika was talking about?" the Kid asked Crazy Blondie.

"This is most definitely 'Godhand'!" shrieked Crazy Blondie - _apparently named Helmeppo, and what kind of sick bastard would name their kid __**THAT**__ - _who was looking anywhere but at me.

I ignored him in favor of blinking.

"Did you want something? I was about to take a nap." I asked, causing the Kid to stare at me again.

"Yea! I'm Monkey D. Luffy! I want you to join my pirate crew!" he said.

I blinked. Again.

_Well that was direct._

I turned my attention back to Helmeppo, who was shivering and shaking.

_He's not going to be in any position to be executing anyone after this._

I looked up at the chain hooked into the ceiling as the Kid - _right, not Kid. Sencho. Captain. Luffy. -_ started to move forward. I leaped, launching myself upwards, and slammed my foot into the ceiling. The chain came loose as I flipped, landing on the ground in a crouch.

Luffy stared at me, wide eyed.

"The name's Kai. Nice to meet you, boss." I said smoothly.

"That was so cool!" he exclaimed. I rolled my eyes and hissed as I stood, my ribcage protesting my sudden movements.

"It was nothing." I said lightly, walking past my new captain to lean over Helmeppo, who started shivering. "You so much as touch one hair of that woman's head and I'll be back to kill you." I whispered into his ear.

"Awesome! We need to find Zoro's sword now. I'm not sure where it is." Luffy said, bouncing up and down. I stretched as I stepped away from Helmeppo and into the hallway.

"Alright." I said simply as Luffy sprinted off and I followed at a _slightly_ more sedate pace.

* * *

Luffy was dragging Blondie through the halls at a furious rate, literally. Helmeppo's head was hitting the ground with every other step, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Which room is Zoro's sword in?"  
"In..Inside my room...we just passed it!"

Luffy punched Helmeppo in the face. I silently cheered.

_I like this kid already._

"Say something sooner!"  
"Don't hit me...that hurts..." the brat whined as Luffy turned around to go back the way we had come.

I paused, hearing footsteps, and turned on my heel, raising my fists as three marines jumped out from behind a door.

"Don't move! Put your hands in the air!" they yelled, leveling their guns at us.

_What hole did they crawl out of?_

"Get a move on Boss. I got this." I said, and started to move as Luffy breezed past me, holding Helmeppo between himself and the guns.

"GO AHEAD AND SHOOT!" He yelled, and my fists dropped just a bit, as did my jaw.

"_WHAT?_ You're actually using him as a shield?"

I grinned. It was a dirty move and I _loved_ it. _Sti__ll, can't let the Captain have all the fun... _That thought in mind, I launched off the ground, shoulder checking a marine in the gut before he could move.

"Let's dance." I grinned at him.

His face paled as I planted my feet, grabbed his arm, and swung like I was playing crack-the-whip. He slammed into his companions, and they fell like dominoes down the stairs as I raced past, catching up to Luffy.

"This is the room!" announced Helmeppo, and Luffy slid to a halt. He broke down the door and we both walked in.

"Oh cool! I found Zoro's swords!" Luffy exclaimed as I glanced around the room. I caught sight of a large duffel bag and walked over.

_This is mine. Huh. I guess Blond Bastard must have had it picked up after our...altercation. _

"But there are three swords here..Which one is Zoro's?" Luffy mused as I opened up my bag and began replacing my bandages.

"Just take all three, Captain. He'll be able to tell you himself which one is his." I commented checked to make sure all my gear was still in my bag, but Luffy wasn't paying any more attention to me.

"Hey, what's happening down there?" He asked, and I looked up to see him standing by the window and pointing. Curiosity piqued, I slung my bag over my shoulder, walked over to him, looked where he was pointing, and immediately started cursing. Marines were surrounding Zoro and some other kid, holding them at gunpoint.

_Not the best of situations._

"Hurry up!" was all I heard before Luffy grabbed the sill and backed up to almost the doorway, leaving me staring at his stretched arms in amazement.

_These days_ I know better, but back_ then_, I didn't know what Luffy **was**. This is the only excuse I have for being caught so off guard that he managed to _snap_ himself out of the window, taking me with him.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGG GHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HH!"

He threw me as he hit the ground, and I bounced, rolling a few times before ending up flat on my back staring up at the sky.

_Fuuuuuuck.  
__I'll be honest.  
__That hurt __**me**__ more than my pride._

I was brought back to reality by the sound of gunshots and the yelling voice of the little kid standing next to Zoro.

"LUFFY!" I yelled, kipping up, expecting to find him filled with bulletholes. Instead, his body stretched where the bullets struck, and then rebounded, sending them flying back towards the marines. My mind shot back to a few seconds earlier, and made a sudden connection.

"Devil fruit?" I murmured, and noticed the little kid - _PINK hair? I feel sorry for the guy, and he's kind of a shrimp, too.. _- trying to untie Zoro. I pulled a knife from my bag and loomed up behind him.

"Allow me." I intoned, as he looked up, and up, and up..  
He allowed.

Both the marines and Zoro stared at Luffy in shock as he stood, one hand on his hat and a silly grin on his face.

"What the hell kind of human ARE YOU?" Zoro sputtered at Luffy.  
"He's the crazy kind of course." I said calmly, starting to cut the ropes holding him in place. Zoro looked over his shoulder at me, the corner of his mouth tipping upwards ever so slightly.

"You're crazy too, you know."  
"Well, we already knew that."

"I am the man who will become the Pirate King." Luffy said to Zoro with a grin, and pulled the three swords off his back. "Which one of these is yours? We couldn't figure it out so we brought all three." he said as he held up the katanas.

"I use a three sword style, all of those are mine." Zoro said as he eyed the swords almost desperately. Luffy turned to look at the marines, seeming to become more serious.

"Fighting the marines here with me will make both of you outlaws. So do you want to die here or not?" he asked, and Zoro slowly grinned.

"You son of the devil. I'm not going to die here, so I'll join you and become a pirate." was his response.

I glanced up from my work with Zoro's ropes to find both of them staring at me expectantly. "Hey, I'm already an outlaw, so that doesn't really count as a good question for me, Boss." I said casually, causing the pink haired kid to stare at me. Again.

"You're...You're 'Godhand'! How did you end up in this prison?" he exclaimed, backing up a few steps. I pointedly ignored the question.

"Would you hurry it up? the marines are almost on us." Zoro said testily as he eyed them approach.  
"Hey, cool your jets, I'm almost done. Just one more.."  
"HURRY UP!"

My knife bit through the last of the ropes, and Zoro shot forwards and upwards. In one smooth movement, he grabbed his swords from Luffy, continued past him like a human cannonball as the marines descended, and blocked **_E_**_**very. Single. Attack.**_

"Woah...Cool!" Luffy said, his eyes shining like stars as he stared at Zoro.  
"Nice." I was my contribution as I sheathed my knife, replacing it in my bag.

I didn't recognize the stance, but the swordsman had crossed his arms in front of him, using his swords to block all the blades at his back and head, while the sword he held clenched in his teeth fended off several to the side.

_He wasn't kiding about a three-sword-style._

Zoro's glared at the marines over his shoulder. "None of you move...If you do, I'll kill you." he said darkly, and a few of the men started crying. I snorted.

_Wimps._

That taken care of, Zoro turned his attention to Luffy.

"I already told you I'd be a pirate with you. Either way, after this is over, I'm going to be an outlaw. But I still have my goals. I'm going to be the Worlds Greatest Swordsman! I don't care if my name is clean or not. Good guy, bad guy, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that my name is known worldwide!" he said fiercely, his eyes sparking, and I grinned.

_Nice speech._

I also was wondering how the **hell** he managed to talk with a sword in his mouth.

"If you do something to get in the way of my goal, I'll kill you." He finished in a growl, and Luffy laughed.

"Since you want to be the Pirate King's crew member, being the Number One Swordsman in the world is a good thing! I would be really embarrassed if you couldn't accomplish something so small!" He said with a smile, and Zoro grinned right back.

"Well said." was his response.

"What about you, Kai? What's your dream?" Luffy asked as I brushed some dust off my jacket, and I raised my eyebrow at the question.

"Dreams, huh..." I said, letting the question go unanswered. Fortunately, there was an interruption.

"WHAT ARE YOU STANDING THERE FOR? FINISH THEM OFF!" yelled a man at the back with an axe hand. Luffy grinned, and brought his leg up.

"Zoro, Kai, duck!" he said happily.

Zoro's eyes widened, as did mine.

**"RUBBER..."**

I hit the ground along with Zoro.

**"..LEG SWEEPER!"** yelled Luffy as his foot stretched and clotheslined all of the marines, sending them flying backwards.

"Ok, really, what are you?" asked Zoro incredulously as he got to his feet, finally taking the white sword out of his mouth.

Luffy patted his leg, and gave us his million-watt grin.

"I'm a rubber man!" he said.

_Well, can't let him have all the fun._

"Oi, Oi, don't go stealing all the spotlight, Captain." I said as I slid my duffel bag off my shoulder. It hit the ground with a thud, creating a small crater and causing dust and sand to billow away from it. A moment of silence was had by all as I stretched out my arms casually.

"Just what do you have in there..." muttered Zoro, eying the thing in consternation. _It's not going to bite you. Really.  
_"Stuff." was my succinct reply.

Movement caught the corner of my eye, and as I actually looked, my jaw almost dropped. The marines were nervously holding their own pistols to their heads, and the man with the axe for a hand was approaching.

"Shit!" I snapped, and Zoro turned to look for himself.

"What the hell are those stupid marines doing?" He spat out, putting his third sword back in his mouth as he started to rush forward.

Luffy made it there first though.

"Hey! **I'm **your enemy! Execute me if you have the guts!" he yelled, catching the axe hand of the lieutenant. Zoro and I watched in silence as the pink haired kid cheered.

"People like you have no right to oppose me. I'm Marine Lieutenant Axe Hand Morgan!" the Lierutenant shouted as he threw off his coat.

"That's a STUPID name." I muttered into the hand covering my face while Zoro snorted.

"I'm Luffy! Nice to meet you!"  
"DON'T GREET HIM!" I screamed.

Zoro chuckled as I groaned, fisting my hands in my hair. "I just **had** to join up with the craziest captain in the world..."

Morgan swung his axe and Luffy jumped above it. The force from the swing split the chain link fence to the left of the battle though, and I lifted an eyebrow.

"Wha...It split the fence in half!" exclaimed the pink haired kid.

I turned to him.

"You have a name, kid?" I asked.  
"I'm Coby." he said, confused.  
"Well Coby, could you stop stating the obvious?" I waved my hand while I said it, turning back to watch the fight.

Morgan had fallen over, and I blinked.

"Zoro, what just happened?"  
"Luffy kicked him in the face."  
"Ooooh, nice move. I approve."

* * *

I was a little too far away to make out what the two were saying, but I was very proud as I watched our Captain kick Morgan around like a bouncy ball.

"WAIT!" yelled a voice I recognized it as Helmeppo's, and I turned as Luffy delivered a stunning punch to Morgan's face.

"I told you to wait!" Helmeppo yelled again, this time more insistently. I rubbed my right wrist as I started to become angry.

Helmeppo was holding a gun at Coby's head.

"If you move, I'll shoot him!" Helmeppo yelled, and I took a step forward.

"No you won't." I said with a dangerous smirk as I began to tap my foot on the ground behind me. _Please let me have the energy for this._

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

"LUFFY! I don't want to be in your way! I'm not afraid to die!" shouted Coby as he trembled slightly, and I grinned at the kid's spunk.

_Who would have thought he had it in him?_

"I know!" called Luffy as I smiled at Helmeppo.  
"Hear that? He's not afraid of death. That makes this a pointless exercise." I said.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

"LUFFY! BEHIND YOU!" Coby yelled, and Helmeppo's hand twitched.

_Tap._

It only took me a split second to cross the gap.

I grabbed Helmeppo's face with my right hand, while my left detached his hand from Coby and threw the pink haired kid to one side.

"Why don't you sleep for a while?" I sneered.

I hooked my foot behind his knees before he could adjust his stance, and crushed him into the ground. His gun arm came up and I was forced to move my head to one side as he fired. The shot flew past my cheek, just barely grazing my ear. I gripped his arm with both hands and twisted, hearing a snap as his shoulder dislocated.

"KAI!" yelled Coby as the side of my face started to bleed.

"Nice!" Luffy cheered, and I stood, looking over my shoulder in time to see Morgan hit the ground, Zoro standing over him, behind Luffy. "Zoro!" He said, sounding surprised.

"Leave it to me, Captain." The swordsman said with a smirk. I started grinning as I walked back over to join them, picking up my duffel bag on the way.

"If you still want to arrest us, come and get us." Zoro said simply, turning to face the remaining marines with a dark glare.  
"It won't be easy though." I chimed in from over his shoulder.

The marines looked at one another, and started celebrating.

_Ooo..kay then..._

Zoro suddenly wobbled, then fell to the ground in a heap. I caught him just before he hit the ground.

_Damn. Heavier than he looks._

"Zoro?" questioned Luffy, while Coby was going into hysterics. I ignored them both in favor of checking Zoro's pulse.

_Whew._

"He's just sleeping, captain." I said as I hefted him over my shoulder, stumbling under the weight for a moment before I caught myself. Luffy and I grinned at each other, the sounds of the marine's mysterious celebration going on behind us.

_I think..this is going to be fun. _


End file.
